The Instruction Manual
by The Teal Dragon
Summary: What happens during and after the final scene with Jon and Shawn in Season 3 Episode 2 "The Double Lie"? Read and Review, please. Constructive Criticism welcomed.


The Instruction Manual

A/N: hello readers! I love the familial relationship between Shawn and Turner, so this is a fluffy oneshot reflecting on that. Based on the line from season 3 episode 2 The Double Lie, "I mean, you didn't exactly come with instructions there, Shawn." Warning- minor mentions of non-graphic physical and verbal abuse by an unnamed person or persons.

Disclaimer – I don't own Boy a Meets World or anything associated with it, merely this idea for a fic and my own imagination.

Words could not describe the sensation of pure relief that overwhelmed Jonathan Turner upon opening his door to see Shawn Hunter sitting on their couch when he returned from the long search. The terror he had encountered when Shawn didn't appear at the Matthews', the trailer park, or Chubbie's was impossible to put into words. Alan Matthews' experienced words of parental wisdom had calmed him somewhat, but he was still extremely anxious as to the kid's whereabouts. Having been somewhat of a runaway in his own youth, Jon knew very well the dangers a kid, even a tough one like Shawn, could face on the streets. Gang fights, pedophiles, kidnappers, the list went on and on. Not to mention being cold and hungry and tired and dirty.

But the situation was far from over. Jonathan knew he must apologize for his earlier actions to help win back Shawn's fragile trust, both in him, and adults in general. It was a difficult task, one he would have to work hard on for as long as Shawn was staying with him. Giving Shawn a normal, safe routine, one where he didn't have to worry about the adult walking out all the time, would go a long way toward helping the troubled teen.

Of course, Shawn also had to realize that his behavior that evening had been unsafe and unacceptable. Running away was dangerous, and while Jon knew that Shawn wasn't as susceptible to the various dangers of the Philadelphia streets as most kids, he didn't want to have to worry about him. Also, Jon was not going to tolerate Shawn bring his girlfriend home to an unsupervised apartment.

One of the most important reasons Jon was trying so hard to get Shawn to understand that he was not the adult in the apartment was because Jon didn't want Shawn to have to worry about adult issues. Growing up, Shawn had to raise himself and try to take care of his father as well. But here in their apartment, all Shawn had to worry about was chores, schoolwork, and being a normal teenager. This was obviously quite a change of pace, and Jon wasn't expecting immediate results, but he felt strongly that the sooner Shawn got to just relax and be a kid, the quicker his life would settle into a more comfortable routine.

Shawn looked up. "Where were you? Another wedding?" He half-joked with a slight smile. He looked somewhat nervous, a little on edge.

Jon smiled back, glad Shawn still felt like he could crack a joke. "I was out looking for you." He made the obvious statement.

"Yeah, well, I took off. I realized there was no place to go, so when I got there, I came back." 'Sounds like he went to where his old trailer used to be.' Jon mused.

"So here you are. Now what do we do?" He asked, hoping Shawn would get the message that he was trying to convey – that he felt every bit as lost as Shawn did in this situation.

Shawn scoffed. "You tell me, you're the adult." He said somewhat resentfully.

"Hey, listen, I'm new at this. I'm just making this up as I go along. I mean, you didn't exactly come with instructions there, Shawn." Jon joked, hoping to get a laugh out of him. Shawn just looked thoughtful.

"You lied to me." Shawn stated quietly, trying to hide his feelings on the subject.

Jon felt a stab of guilt similar to the one he had at the Matthews'. "Yeah, I did. Shawn, I'm sorry. I – I should've just been straight with ya." Shawn almost looked surprised at the notion of an adult apologizing to him. Jon had the feeling no adults had ever apologized to Shawn for their various trespasses in his life. Quickly, he added, "You're no angel, by the way. Fifteen year old kids should not be bringing home girls to empty apartments."

Shawn hung his head in shame and swallowed hard. The next words he spoke seemed forced. "So what are you gonna do…kick me out?" His tone implied that he didn't care, but Jon noticed the worry in his eyes.

Jonathan sighed. There it was, the insecure little boy afraid of being rejected. Shawn always tried to hide this aspect of himself behind a mask of anger and disrespect, but Jon knew how bad this kid was hurting beneath the confident façade.

"Oh, Shawn, come on! Every time one of us messes up doesn't mean somebody's gotta take off!" Jon started before the heartbroken look of confusion in Shawn's hazel eyes stabbed him in the heart. Shawn's whole life had been dealing with one or both of his parents walking out on him after big fights and arguments.

Jon's tone became softer and more gentle. "We gotta talk these things out, okay?" Shawn looked up at him with a vulnerable look of wary trust and his heart broke in happiness when he realized he might have finally earned a piece of Shawn's trust.

"So look, we both messed up, all right? We'll just…do it right next time." Jon smiled down at Shawn, and they walked over to the couch to sit together. They talked about feeling trapped, like the walls were closing in and they had no privacy. Shawn assured Jon that he could take care of himself for a couple hours and entertain himself with semi-legal activities. Though Jon had realized, while he was out looking for Shawn, that he didn't miss the bachelor lifestyle as much as he'd thought. Kris was a nice lady, but he didn't enjoy her company as much as he did Shawn's. He actually preferred sitting on the couch watching the Phillie's game and joking around with his little buddy. He never would have thought that he could need this kid just as much as the kid needed him.

Shawn's laughter trailed off and his cautious look returned. He seemed to re-assess the situation, squinting at Jon as if to gauge his mood. "Are we okay?" He asked softly.

Jonathan nudged him playfully. He realized how close to him Shawn was physically. Usually Shawn would sit on the other end of the couch, as if by physically distancing himself from Jon, he could protect himself from being hurt emotionally. Sometimes Shawn would get scared when Jon touched him on the shoulder when he wasn't expecting it. But Shawn didn't try to move or show any signs of alarm when he nudged him. Good progress. Jon thought.

He grinned at the teenager next to him. "Yeah, we're good." He held out his hand for Shawn to clasp, and for the first time since coming to live with Jon, Shawn didn't flinch or move away. He reached his own hand out to shake Jonathan's, and neither let go right away. Shawn held onto his hand for a minute. "It's your move." Jon smiled. Shawn laughed and moved in to give him a hug.

Suddenly, Jonathan heard a slight rustling noise behind them. He gave an exasperated sigh. "Veronica's behind the couch, isn't she?" He asked Shawn.

"Man, I was that close to telling you." Shawn held his fingers about a centimeter apart with an apologetic grin.

Veronica popped up from behind the couch and waved. "Hi, Mr. Turner." She looked around. "Nice place."

"Yeah." He sighed again. Well, he did want Shawn to act like a normal kid, and he sure was acting like a hormonal adolescent boy.

"Huh?" Shawn gestured toward the teenage girl, grinning. "Veronica Watson!"

About an hour later, after Jon had driven Veronica home and made Shawn apologize to her parents, they returned home to their apartment. Shawn, munching an apple, went to his room to do his homework. A little while later, Jon checked it over and noticing the time, told Shawn to get ready to go to bed while he took a shower.

When he left the bathroom about half an hour later, he was surprised to find Shawn sitting on his bed. "Shawn, buddy, it's pretty late. You can sleep in tomorrow because it's Saturday, but don't you wanna get some rest?" He asked.

"Uh…yeah…it's just…I wanted to know if I could go over to Cory's tomorrow." Shawn said nervously, pulling on the pajamas Jon had given him when he moved in.

"Well, you've got some extra chores headed your way, but once you're done, sure, go ahead." Jon smiled at him.

"Okay, then…um…goodnight." He licked his lips nervously but didn't move.

"Night, kiddo." Neither guy moved for a minute. Then Shawn leaned in and hugged Jon tightly. When Jon realized what was happening, he hugged Shawn back. They stayed like that until Shawn pulled back a few moments later, mumbled something close to the word 'thanks' and hastily retreated from the room.

This was incredible progress. Shawn was developing a physical relationship with Jon without much fear of Jon hurting him. He was starting to trust him now.

Still smiling, Jon pulled back his covers and lay down, grabbing a stack of papers that he needed to grade from his nightstand. A piece of torn notebook paper with familiar messy handwriting scribbled on it rested on top of the student's neatly printed worksheets. He picked it up and began to read it.

THE SHAWN HUNTER INSTRUCTION MANUAL

By Shawn

RULE #1 – Don't hit me when you're angry. I still mess up even with the bruises.

RULE #2 – Don't yell or call me names unless I do something really stupid or dangerous.

RULE #3 – Don't leave me unless there's an emergency and let me know that you'll be back soon.

RULE # 4 – Don't lie to me. Figure out a way to tell me anything.

RULE # 5 – Don't give up on me, even when I tell you to.

Jonathan stared at the revealing piece of paper in his hand, scarcely comprehending it's meaning. He blinked once and took a deep breath as he tried to get over the shock and guilt. Shawn Hunter had spent his whole life being physically and verbally assaulted, and no one had seen it. Hell, Jon had been Shawn's teacher for a year and he never noticed. The lack of self-esteem, the long sleeves in the hot summer weather…it all made sense now.

A wide variety of emotion overwhelmed Jonathan Turner in that moment. Anger at Shawn's abuser, sorrow for the pain the poor kid must've gone through, frustration at how unfair life could be, and relief that Shawn was finally safe. No one would ever hurt Shawn again. Not while Jon was around. He would protect Shawn from the people who hurt him in his past, and do his best to prevent him from being hurt in the future.

Standing up, Jon went to go check on Shawn. He tended to have trouble dealing with emotions and exposing himself to people. Vulnerability was not something Shawn enjoyed, and Jon wanted to make sure Shawn was okay.

Jon paused by the door of Shawn's room and watched the kid sleep, warm and snug in bed, safe from all the people who hurt him and left him to pick up the pieces. He walked into Shawn's room and sat at the end of his mattress. "Shawn, wake up, buddy."

The teen stirred and cracked open one eye, yawning and rubbing it with his fist sleepily. "Jon?" He sounded confused.

Jon smiled at him. "Hey kiddo. You're safe here, you know that, right? There's nothing to be afraid of. I'll protect you. And I would never hit you or call you names or leave you. Never. You hear me, Shawn?"

Shawn's smile turned into a characteristic Shawn grin. "Yeah. I know."

"Good." Jon pulled him in for a quick hug and stood up. "Good night, then."

"Goodnight, Jon." And with that, Shawn Hunter lay back down and drifted off into a peaceful sleep, secure in the knowledge that Jonathan Turner would keep him safe from harm, no matter what.

A/N: alrighty people, there it is, my new Shawn – Turner fluffy family – like fanfiction. I hope you enjoyed it, and review regardless. Thanks for Reading!


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